AUSTIN, Texas, July 1, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- DDB Technologies, LLC and SportsLine.com, Inc. (Nasdaq:SPLN) announced today that they have reached an agreement that includes the non-exclusive licensing of DDB's patent portfolio relating to the use of interactive media to cover live events (e.g., sports, news, etc.). SportsLine.com has been granted a non-exclusive license to the following DDB patents: U.S. Patent #5,526,479, U.S. Patent #5,671,347 and U.S. Patent #6,204,862.
"We are extremely excited to partner with SportsLine.com, the on-line sports information leader," stated Dr. David R. Barstow, Founder and President of DDB Technologies. "SportsLine.com is a tremendous flagship licensee for our on-going patent licensing program."
The technology described in the patents supports a variety of Internet-oriented data services. Supported services include:
-- Live game status --Play-by-play text, graphics, and animation -- After-the-game replay
The technology described in the patents includes numerous variations on the basic mechanisms, including:
-- Computer-supported play-by-play data capture
-- Interactive delivery of services from a database of
play-by-play information
-- One-way and two-way telecommunication
This license agreement marks the continuation of DDB's strategic intellectual property plan and the successful launch and implementation of its patent licensing program. DDB's Intellectual Property Team consists of Jones Day, a global law firm with 29 locations in centers of business and finance throughout the world, and Intellectual Property Asset Corporation (IPAC), a company that invests directly in pools of patents and patent rich companies. Jones Day is serving as both patent counsel and legal counselors, while IPAC has been retained as financial advisors for the DDB IP Team.
According to Michael McLaughlin, a Managing Director with Intellectual Property Asset Corporation (IPAC), who served as the financial consultant and chief negotiator for DDB, "SportsLine.com is a market leader in this industry and is a perfect flagship licensee to start the roll-out of this licensing program. Hopefully, they will be the first of many companies to take a license to this valuable patent portfolio."
Companies interested in a license to the DDB patents may contact Michael McLaughlin of IPAC at (404) 874-0026 or mmclaughlin@ipassetcorp.com
About DDB Technologies, LLC
DDB Technologies, LLC, located in Austin, Texas, is an intellectual property holding company established to capitalize on the value of its patented technology. The technology described in the patents supports a variety of interactive media services related to sports events. The company's President and Founder, Dr. David Barstow, has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University and is the inventor of the technology. Dr. Barstow is an internationally recognized authority in Artificial Intelligence and Software Engineering.
About Jones Day
Jones Day is an international law firm with 29 locations in centers of business and finance throughout the world. With more than 2,000 lawyers, it ranks among the world's largest law firms. Jones Day acts as principal outside counsel to, or provides significant legal representation for, more than half of the Fortune 500 companies, as well as to a wide variety of other entities and individuals. Surveys repeatedly list Jones Day as one of the firms most frequently engaged by US corporations and many of the firm's lawyers have achieved national recognition in their disciplines. Jones Day was ranked number one for client service in a survey of 200 Fortune 1000 corporate counsel; named Litigation Department of the Year in 2002 by the American Lawyer; and was ranked sixth in Corporate Board Member Magazine's list of America's Best Corporate Lawyers.
About Intellectual Property Asset Corporation
Intellectual Property Asset Corporation (or "IPAC") is an IP investment and asset management company committed to extracting maximum value for IP assets. IPAC invests directly in pools of patents and patent rich companies or universities and manages those investments through a team of experienced IP experts. In addition, IPAC provides a wide range of strategic IP consulting services related to IP valuation and licensing, as well as litigation support and expert testimony related to damages for IP infringement disputes or complex commercial litigation disputes. IPAC's professionals have backgrounds in accounting, economics and finance and extensive global experience in negotiating IP rich transactions and license agreements.